Henceforth, tourist buses will carry only the passengers’ personal luggage in the undercarriage, and not cargo. This is one of the 12 safety guidelines laid out for operators in the wake of the Bangalore-Hyderabad Volvo bus accident at Mahbubnagar, Andhra Pradesh, in which 45 people were burnt alive.
The Karnataka government also deputed the joint commissioner of transport, Bangalore (urban and rural), to Mahbubnagar to study the accident.
Transport minister R Ramalinga Reddy told reporters that 10 teams have been formed to curb illegal activities by tourist bus operators in Bangalore Regional Transport Offices limits. Action will be taken against operators whose carry goods other than luggage, he added.
Prior to the journey, passengers should be informed about safety measures in case of emergencies, either orally or by screening a video. Tourist vehicles are required to compulsorily carry trip sheets with details of the passengers, like name, age, address, gender, phone number, departure and arrival points.
A fine will be imposed if a vehicle owner violates these measures. More than three violations, and the vehicle will be seized.
The state government has even sent a proposal to incorporate emergency exits on both sides o
f the vehicles, at the manufacturing level.
RTOs will re-inspect all passenger vehicles produced for fitness certificate renewal to ensure only roadworthy vehicles get certified.
Other conditions
* Passenger vehicles should have emergency exits
* Checks for defective speed governors in vehicles registered after Nov 2011 (max speed limit: 65km/hr)
* To encourage safe driving, refresher courses to be taken up each month with the help of manufacturers like Volvo, Ashok Leyland, Tata and other companies
* RTOs to inspect fitness of vehicles in a special drive every month, cancel certificates of vehicles which are not road worthy
